Got schooled on a job in Phoenix by a guy who's been finishing since the 80s

I was working on a big commercial slab out there last month, about 5000 square feet. The foreman, this older guy named Ray, saw me setting up my magnesium straightedge. He just walked over, shook his head, and said, 'Kid, you're gonna get a wave right there if you don't wet that thing down first.' I'd never heard that before. He showed me how to dip it in a bucket of water and wipe it before each pass. It completely changed how the edge cut through the concrete. My finish was way smoother after that. Anyone else have a simple trick like that they learned from an old timer?

2 comments

2 Comments

kellymurphy29d ago

Forget the straightedge, what about the MIX itself? Did Ray have any old school tricks for reading the concrete in that Phoenix heat? Like how to tell by the sound of your trowel if it's setting up too fast, or a way to keep the surface open longer when it's 110 out? Those guys had to work without half the chems we have now.

the_gray29d ago

Wait, he'd never heard of wetting the straightedge? That's wild to me. I thought that was day one stuff, like keeping your trowel clean. I learned that from my first boss back in '99. It stops the tool from dragging and sticking, especially in hot weather. That old timer just saved him a world of trouble on a slab that big.